a very cute story about friendship, hope, love and kindness! i love the main characters. the way they develop a friendship because of a old comic they read as kids was so sweet! also disability rep is always a plus!!

This book was an ARC from Netgalley.

WOW. A MASTERPIECE. Loved it from beginning to end. We’ve got bi representation, a sapphic relationship that is SO DANG CUTE, disabled representation, multicultural protagonists, the WHOLE SHABANG.

PLEASE give this one a read.

(Though I will say a minor nitpick, Gabby mentions in one scene that it is the first time Neesha wears her braces with shorts in front of her, when in the scene prior to that, she was wearing shorts with braces… made me do a double take LOL)

LGBTQ+ rep, disability rep, diversity rep, AND manga?! Yes please!

A really fun YA graphic novel about two high school girls new to the same school who build a friendship around rereading a manga they enjoyed as kids. As the two grow closer they start to bond over loves lost, a parent passing away, divorce, being treated different for having a disability, cultural traditions, and personal passions. This story started out a bit slow for me but I ended up feeling really invested in Neesha and Gaby's relationship. Two strong, intelligent, kind, artistic, driven, queer characters who treat each other with respect and compassion are something teens need to be reading about. Hell, adults need to be reading this also.

Thank you, NetGalley for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This Graphic Novel was absolutely lovely and warmed my heart very much. It reminded me of how I met one of my best friends. I'm an introvert and she's an extrovert, we always joke that she forced me to be friends with her because she wouldn't stop talking, we've been friends for 13 years now.
The art is beautiful and the characters are incredibly well developed. Whitley did an amazing job navigating the topics mentioned in the book. Not only will I recommend it to my bestie and her girlfriend, but I'll also recommend it to everyone. A very nice, heart warming read. Thank you so much!

Thank you to NetGalley and Mad Cave Studios for the e-arc!

Navigating With You is a charming story about two girls who bond over their favorite manga and fall in love. Neesha and Gabby are at different points in their lives and as the story progresses they can seek comfort in each other. I thought the relationship development was done well and the characters were very endearing. I would recommend checking this out when it is published.

This story was absolutely adorable! Both main characters stole my heart! Neesha's strength and determination were inspiring, while Gabby's sweetness perfectly complemented her. The plot of bonding over a manga series reminded me of my high school days and made the story even more endearing. I wish I had a cute book club like theirs back then! 📚💕 The incorporation of manga into the story was fantastic, and the art style was captivating. It's a heartwarming tale about self-love, friendship, romance, and acceptance—a delightful coming-of-age story in every sense! 🌟

I loved the book.
The characters are fantastic and so captivating.
Each one deals with their own lives, but together they try to be themselves and go on a quest to look for the volumes of a manga series, of which we have a few pages throughout the comic. I thought this was a really thoughtful touch for the reader, who can also see what the characters are reading.
The illustrations are super beautiful and give personality to the characters.

4.5 Stars for Navigating With You!

I absolutely loved this one. I think the two main characters are so beautifully different and distinct. Despite such different backstories they are paired together with such a strong friendship that easily blossoms in to more as they track down out-of-print manga for their book club. We see them grow together and bring out better strengths in each other, I think the use of different art styles for the old manga theyre reading really makes this a lot of fun with the 2-in-1 stories. Overall very enjoyable read with great characters and a strong story of self=love and acceptance!

I adored this story! Our two main characters, Neesha and Gabby, have experienced so much hardship in their lives up to this point. They're seniors in high school and Gabby forces Neesha to be her friend when she is the new girl in school. Neesha has a disability she prefers to hide but slowly opens up to her new friend. They bond over a manga they both want to read but must search for the out of print volumes. Throughout this story the manga pages are shown and it is such a fun journey to read along with them. This was overall just a lovely LGBT story with a lot of heart, difficult topics, and wonderful characters. I'll be recommending this to everyone!

Navigate with you by Jeremy Whitley and Casio Ribiero - review

4.5⭐️
🫑

First of all thank you very much Netgalley and Mad Cave Studios for the e-arc in return for a honest review 💕🫶🏼.

I was surprised it was a graphic novel, I didnot read the description that well 😅🫣.
But it was a good surprise. I don’t read that many graphic novels, but I really liked it and definitely want to read more.

This is also the most heartwarming and cute story. And I definitely shed some tears 🥺.

Navigating with you is an amazing, cute, ya graphic novel about Neesha Sparks, a black girl who is vocal in the community about the LGBTQI+ and disability community from New York. She herself is lesbian and has Cerebral Palsy, a motor disability. Besides that she has a passion for costume making. Gabby Garciana is half Puerto Rican and half Mexican. She identifies herself as bi and is a very enthusiastic, extroverted surfer girlie from Florida. Both girls recently moved across the country to North Carolina and are the new girl. They become friends over their like for this manga series Navigator Nozomi. They start a bookclub and are on the quest of finding the copies of all the issues. Since they both started the series but never finished.
On their journey they find acceptance, friendship, understanding and love.

Neesha is such a badass but also very stubborn character. I loved seeing how strong she is. But found it heartbreaking to see her struggling with her disability and being to stubborn to ask for help, because she didn’t want to be treated differently.

Gabby is just the cutest little bean. I loved her enthusiasm and positivity, even though she also had her own struggles with her sexuality and hardships with the move she pushed through.

I think they really balanced each other out exactly right!

I also really liked the side stories of the manga in the story. You got to read the manga with them each time they found a new issue you got a piece of the story too, which was really nice. It helped you understand the manga and the plot when the characters were talking about it better.

The art is also very beautiful! Definitely my compliments to the illustrator, they really visualised the story just perfectly.

This graphic novel will be published August 13th. So when it is coming out don’t walk but run to your local bookstore and buy this amazing ya romance 😍💕.

This is such a cute romance story! Both of the leads are new kids at school and become friends because of their shared interest in an old manga series, Navigator Naomi. Unfortunately, the manga series is out of print and the volumes are hard to find. So together, they decided to create a competition! Whoever finds the most volumes of the series "wins". In their mission to track down the volumes, they learn more about each other and slowly develop a deep friendship. Watching the main characters slowly reveal all of the things that made them who they are was fascinating. Also, watching the romance between the two girls was so cute! This was a wonderfully fulfilling romance. The plot was evenly paced, and even if the ending feels bittersweet, you also feel completely satisfied. I adored the main characters! They both feel so real and like someone you could meet in real life. I also really liked the art, the style is so good.


Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

This was a really charming graphic novel with a lot of things to love about it.

Firstly, the representation. While I can’t speak on how accurately it depicts disability, race or queerness, I did really enjoy reading a story that incorporated all these elements. It is so rare to see main characters that have a disability, and I will always champion more diversity in storytelling. This is really such a beautiful aspect of the book and I appreciated the recourses that are included in the back of the book. (Also loved getting to see a glimpse of the character design process)

Furthermore, the relationship felt very genuine and loving. The girls were really there for each other and connected on so many levels. It was really wonderful to see. They also communicated well with each other but how they talked felt very appropriate for their age. It was really sweet to see it all develop.

One thing that did bring it down a little bit for me was the pacing. A full school year goes by, however that does make it so some moments feel a bit rushed and months go by with little insight into what happened. Also, while I fully understand why the manga series that they bond over was included the way that it was, I found that it took me out of the current story a bit.
These issues, were of course very much down to personal preference and I would still recommend it for anyone looking for a very sweet sapphic romance.

Great representation of POC. Great representation of queer people. Great representation of disabled people. The design was beautifully made and the storyline was interesting throughout the whole story.

What I would give to go on an adventure to find the lost volumes of my favorite series with my crush. This book was so cute. I loved how the two girls bonded over that book series and how it brought them together and helped build their relationship. I think it was great how we also got to see the manga they liked in the story so that we could see why they liked the book so much and why they both connected to it. Gabby and Neesha are both so fleshed-out characters that you are rooting for, and you want them to be happy. This is a book with a great coming-of-age romance about self-acceptance, love, friendship, and how books can connect us.

I didn't have many expectations of the comic when I started out, but I ended up really enjoying it!
It deals with disability and grief in such an honest way, while still being a gentle and fun story of young sapphic love.
I especially got emotional at the part where the girls meet the manga artist of the book series they bonded over.

Sorry to be soo cheesy but this book has navigated it’s way right into my heart omg.

New kid at school Gabby (who is a little ray of sunshine) is determined to befriend fellow new kid Neesha after she stands up for Gabby when she gets dress coded on the first day. Neesha is resistant to Gabby’s attempts at friendship at first, but they soon bond over being fans of the manga series Navigator Nozomi, and decide to hunt down all the volumes together, which leads to them falling in loooove. :’)

I loved all the little adventures they went on and the narrative of the manga that Neesha and Gabby read that is woven into the main storyline. The way they that the characters handled Neesha’s cerebral palsy and Gabby’s PTSD was really well done. (I will say for this one: content warning for anyone that has any car crash related trauma).

Also I have to say just one more time how much I loved both their characters and their relationship!! Neesha is so creative and smart and I adored how she advocated for herself. Gabby, as mentioned earlier is an absolute ray of sunshine and so bubbly and kind and emotionally perceptive. The way their relationship developed felt so authentic and the pacing was perfect.

All in all, an adorable slice of life romance. Would absolutely recommend to anyone wanting a cute YA sapphic read!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Mad Cave Studios for the ARC!

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy for an honest review

I really enjoyed it and would highly recommend and I can’t wait to buy a copy for myself 🙂

Rating 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What the... how did such an amazing book just come out of nowhere?! This is a beautifully illustrated YA sapphic romance that deserves all the praise.

Neesha and Gabby are the new girls at a new school, both having recently moved to North Carolina. Despite Neesha's best efforts, Gabby is determined to be friends - and a shared love for an old manga series is the spark that kindles her success. As each girl learns and trusts enough to open up, their relationship grows into a close friendship - and maybe something more?

While there is a lot of sweetness and joy in this story, there is also hard realism and trauma. Both Neesha and Gabby have had to face difficult experiences in their young lives that deeply affect who they are. Their characters depictions are beautifully layered, from personalities to reactions. For what the opinion of someone with no personal experience is worth, the depiction of Neesha's daily life with CP seemed honest and well-handled. I love the way both girls' parents are present in their stories in a realistic and positive way - Neesha's relationship with her mom in particular is beautiful.

The story itself packs in so much detail and complexity that propels the story forward. Neesha and Gabby travel around North Carolina searching for an out-of-print manga, exploring and encountering all sorts of adventures while growing closer. There's joy and celebration in every indulgence of their nerdy hobbies. Each time they find another of the volumes, Navigating With You includes a sort of insert section of a few manga pages that sketch the storyline of the series.

Speaking of sketching, the art is so pretty in this book! Even without text, the drawings give Neesha and Gabby such vibrancy and personality. The coloring of text boxes gives glimpses into each girl's thoughts and words while making easily clear who is speaking. The variety between more traditional comic book framing, full page images with text conversations, and manga inserts keep the book dynamic.

SPOILER ALERT: One thing I didn't love - Now don't get me wrong, boyfriend Josh is horrible. But I don't love that Gabby starts something with Neesha while still dating him. I give her credit for being honest about the kiss, but at no point does anyone say "hey, maybe end it with him because cheating is bad."

I'm so happy I picked this wonderful book to read and I can think of about a dozen recommendation lists it needs to be added to immediately.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this arc. The art in this was so beautiful. I loved how the story was in color and when you got to the parts of the comic they liked it was in black and white. Overall, the story was so cute!

So cute! It's wonderful to see people come together over something that's considered "nerdy," especially when it's girls. It's not done very often so it's really refreshing. I love the art style as well! It gives it graphic novel vibes of course but not overly manga vibes. I love the fact that you basically get too stories in one - the story of Gabby and Neesha and the story of the manga they're reading together. I love that it doesn't shy away from basically anything. It shows disability and mental illness and longing and confusion and inner turmoil and the list could go on and on. It isn't just a cute fluffy read of two girls finding eachother. It's raw and real and handles thoughts and feelings that normal teens go through, but also the challenges that come with being a teen and being disabled, or being a teen and have mental health challenges. I think my only complaint would be the length of the book. I feel like it came to a good conclusion, and I'd love to see a sequel to continue reading their story, but I wished it was longer simply because I wanted to see more of their every day lives together. The story seemed to skip over a lit of things, which makes sense because of needing ro condense the timeline to fit the story into just a few months, I just enjoyed the characters and their interactions so much that I wanted more. I wanted to see Gabby spending time with her dad and brothers, I would have loved to see more of Neesha and her mom, and of course it would have been fantastic to see more of Gabby and Neesha together, even doing simple things like going to the mall or something. Overall thought I'm so glad I picked it up, and I look forward to a volume 2 if there is one.